Glimpse of the Future in Leafs 2-1 win
Last night elements of the pieces that could bring the Maple Leafs back into hockey relevance were on display as the Leafs defeated the NY Islanders 2-1 at the ACC. Phil Kessel's end-to-end rush which resulted in the winning goal late in the 3rd period was a picture of what this talented 23 year old brings to the table and why Brian Burke made the trade that some continue to ridiculously lament over. As Kessel took the puck in his own zone and began to attack, you had the sense something good was about to happen as he wired a shot past Al Montoya to give the Leafs the lead.
But what may have saved the game was minutes earlier when James Reimer made an incredible glove save on Jack Hillen, which had the Islanders shaking their heads. In watching the video replay it was amazing how Reimer saw that puck. Be it instinct, be it being lucky or being at the right place at the right time, Reimer came up big just before Kessel's end to end rush. Reimer's continual solid play is certainly giving Leafs management quite a bit to think about for next season. What was incredible, was Reimer was battling a bad case of an upset stomach and was almost ready to sit out after the first period. Thankfully for the Leafs, the medical staff was able to get the goalie's stomach calmed down.
What was also impressive last night was the steady play of Luke Schenn, Keith Aulie and Carl Gunnarsson. Were they perfect? No. But they were steady and made plays in their own end which provide the basis for a pretty solid defensive core along with Dion Phanuef. It's apparent that Coach Ron Wilson is not afraid to put any one of the 3 out in key situations and on the penalty kill. It was also nice to see Gunnarsson on the power play. Hopefully, that continues.
Clarke MacArthur scored the Leafs first goal putting them ahead 1-0 in the first period on a bullet wrister that beat Montoya. A pretty goal and one that will give Brian Burke something to think about as he begins negotiations with MacArthur's agent, Don Meehan. After taking a slew of penalties, the Islanders tied it up on a power play goal by Matt Moulson in the second period.
While the game was not perfect as the power play continues to struggle and they took too many penalties, there is hope as you watch these young Leafs continue to grow. Mistakes will be made and there were mistakes made last night. But speed and youthful exuberance were able to make up for it. It also helps to have a goalie who can come up big when you need him.
The Leafs are next in action Thursday at Montreal with hopefully revenge on their minds after a brutal 3-0 loss a couple of Saturdays ago at the Bell Center.
The Johnnies are Back and a Tough Loss for the Leafs
In what has probably become one of the great stories in college basketball this season, the St. John's Red Storm continued their giant killing ways by knocking off 4th ranked Pittsburgh 60-59 at the MSG. Coach Steve Lavin has done a remarkable job in bringing back this basketball program and making it a dangerous participant in this year's version of March Madness.
The Big East is truly the toughest conference in the country as evidenced by yesterday's results: West Virginia over ranked Notre Dame, St. John's win over Pitt, and Syracuse and Villanova needing to go to overtime to beat Rutgers and Depaul. As a Big East fan, you have to hope that the grueling regular season prepares the tourney eligible teams for the March Madness grind as opposed to leaving them worn out for what lies ahead.
Last night marked the beginning of the Tomas Kaberle-less era in Leafland. The Leafs, despite out-shooting Ottawa 47 - 22, dropped a 1-0 shootout decision to their inter-provinicial rival at the ACC. Luke Schenn came very close to ending the game in regulation when he labeled one off the goal post late in the third period. However, the Leafs came even closer in the overtime session when Craig Anderson made two saves off of Phil Kessel on the same play, with the puck unluckily skidding past the goal line.
While the Leafs badly out shot their opponents, most of those shots were from the outside with little traffic in front of Anderson. Luke Schenn was a standout on defense and was an alternate captain last night, taking the spot vacated by the trade of Kaberle. While reports out of Toronto indicate that Colby Armstrong will take over that role, Schenn has truly become a leader on this team. What's more remarkable is that he is only 21 years old.
A killer for the Leafs last night was their power play which was putrid for the most part. While some will place that on the loss of Kaberle, I find that too simplistic in that the power play problems this year have been the same with or without Kaberle which is a lack of presence in front of the net. It would have been nice to see more of Carl Gunnarsson on the power play as the kid has some offensive creativity as evidenced by a nifty pass to Joffrey Lupul which set up a good scoring chance in the 3rd period.
While the Leafs playoff hopes are probably on life support, their is hope as what was eveidenced by the play of Schenn, Keith Aulie (who had a very strong game), the Grabovski line and Phil Kessel. Joffrey Lupul flashed his offensive skill on a couple of occasions and hopefully he can get some pucks in the net. And how can you forget James Reimer who very well may be the goalie of the future.
The key for the rest of the season needs to be continuous improvement. The Leafs are next on the ice Tuesday against the Islanders at the ACC.
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